January 13, 2014

Lovely Readers...Apologies for the delayed publishing of this blog post. So delayed in fact that this lovely lady married her hubby yesterday! Enjoy this post and look out for a post about their amazing wedding coming soon :)

In January two of the Hubby and I's closest friends D & C are getting married.

Last Saturday night was us girls chance to toast this amazing event in their lives by celebrating C's Hens day/night. And toasting we certainly did!

It all began at 10:15am with C jumping off the Sky Tower. This was all a huge surprise to her, she had no idea what was install for her over the course of the day and night.

Then all us girls and our inaugural guy (C's brother - Mr Gay World) headed off on a Wine Tour.

We stopped at three amazing wineries where we sampled 7 different wines at each vineyard and also learnt little tidbits and facts about wine making and vineyards in general.

For example....Do you know why they plant red,pink, white or yellow rose bushes at the end of the rows of vines? No?! Well we found out that they are planted for two reasons. Firstly the colour depicts the variety of grape that is planted on that row. Pink and red symbolise a red grape variety and white and yellow symbolise a white grape variety. Secondly, if a Blight disease is going through the vines, the roses will show black spots first before the grape vines, enabling the growers to spray the vines before they becoming infected.

Our first stop of the day was at Soljan's Winery where we learnt all about the art of making wine, champagne and sparkling wine. We also learnt the key difference between what is considered a champagne and a sparkling wine. Sparkling wines are generally just a white wine that has had CO2 put into it.

The second stop for the day was at Matua Valley Wines, this vineyard had the most amazing tasting room. It had gorgeous big windows covering all the walls which allowed you to look out over the grounds and the sun to stream in.

Our last stop on the tour was at Westbrooke Wineries, here we indulged in some sparkling wine while eating our picnic lunch before having our tasting in our very own private tasting room.

We had some time to kill, so decided to head over to The Riverhead Tavern. This was our chance to have some coffee and sober up re-energize ourselves for the big night ahead.

For our evening entertainment, we had exclusive use of a nightclub on K'Road where we danced our feet away and indulged in a few drinks :)

Overall it was an amazing day and night and the perfect send off for Candy as she embarks into married life with her high school sweetheart!!

November 24, 2013

Warning! This post is a picture only collage of our trip to Wellington.

This trip was mainly to watch the All Whites vs Mexico FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier game on Wednesday night. But we also managed to squeeze in two full days down there, which we used to explore the city and play tourist.

Fact: Wellington is New Zealand's capital city and home to our government and parliament buildings.

---------------------------------------------------

Complimentary voucher at the hotel ~ First Christmas Starbucks {Toffee Nut Soy Latte} ~ Oops, someone set the smoke alarms off at the hotel.

My darling father-in-law has just been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer.

Father-In-Law on our wedding day {10-11-12}

Of course he is hopefully set to make a full recover [once treatment gets underway], but it is still a very scary, emotional, upsetting thing to hear "I have Cancer".

How does one voice the feelings going through them; the sadness that it's cancer, that it's affecting someone so strong and fit, the elation that it could be much worse...it's a mixed bag that's for sure.

I have to be strong for my husband and his family but it does still affect me, he is after all my father-in-law and although we have never been close it still hits home that someone in my family has cancer.

If you met my father-in-law you'd find that he is a very proud man, he doesn't like to ask for help and doesn't share his feelings openly. So for him, this has got to be tough. He is going to have to learn to lean on us all, and ultimately swallow his proud and ask for help.

This journey will not be an easy one, it is going to rip at all of us but especially it will rip at my in-laws.

Helping us through the process is the fact the my in-law's have recently sold their house and are currently looking to buy closer into the city. They currently live about 40-60 minutes out in the country but are looking to move into the city. In fact the Hubby and I are hoping that they will be successful and purchase a house they have their eyes on which is near us (20-25 minutes drive from us), as that will help make this all easier if they are closer to us and also to the Hubby's brother and his partner.

Apologies if this post is a little jumbled, I just wrote it as I thought it.

I will probably blog more about this journey for our family, so keep an eye out for future posts.

November 19, 2013

If you missed my recap on Days 1 - 3 you can see it here.Apologies for the text heavy post... we didn't take many photos over these few days as we were mainly inside at airports or shopping.

Day 4

Monday we set aside purely for shopping and shopping is definitely what we did. We went everywhere! Starting at Harbour Town which is a must do for outlet shopping, before continuing on to Target Centre, Myer Centre, Melbourne Central and Big W. There was a lot of shopping done so much so we had to make a stop off at the hotel in the middle to drop our purchases to make room for more.After all this shopping we were pretty knackered so decided room service for dinner and the television was a great way to spend our evening.

Day 5

Our last full day in Melbourne, we chose to have a relaxing day. We lazed in our room until well after 10am, before heading off to do a spot more shopping grabbing some last minute items we were wanting. We also used this time to check out another outlet mall we found (Spencer Outlet Centre) which just happened to be above Southern Cross Station. We also used this oppourtunity to book our hotel pick up for the following morning to catch the Sky Bus back to Tullamarine to head home.In the evening we decided to brave the pouring rain and head back out into the city to have a walk around parts we hadn't ventured before and also to check out Flinders Station.For dinner we headed to an English pub we had found at Melbourne Central, it was cheap, delicious and the meal sizes were enormous.

Apple Cider & Chicken Schnitzel

Day 6

Started at 6am with our alarms going off so that we would be awake and downstairs in time for our 6:30am pick up from our hotel to Southern Cross Station. We caught the Sky Bus to Tullamarine where we were so early our flight hadn't opened for check in. We decided to use this time to go find coffee, earl grey tea and a lemon & poppy seed muffin to share.Once we checked in we headed straight to customs and the border to access 'air side' where we had a spot to eat for breakfast, grabbed a drink and snack for the plane and had a long browse of the duty free shopping. Other than a couple of family card games based off family board games (Game of Life and Cluedo) we didn't buy anything.Then we waited and waited and waited... while our flight got gate changed and gate changed and then delayed by an hour before taking off and heading home to Kiwi Land (New Zealand).

November 18, 2013

Day 1

This day was spent travelling to Melbourne, so a lot of time spent in an airplane and airports. Once we arrived in Melbourne we navigated our first lot of public transport. We used Melbourne's Sky Bus service to travel from Tullamarine (Melbourne International Airport) to Southern Cross Station in Melbourne CBD. As part of the Sky Bus service, included is a free hotel shuttle which takes you to and from Southern Cross Station and your chosen hotel (or a pick up point nearby). We were fortunate enough to be dropped right at our hotel door. We chose to stay at Grand Chancellor Melbourne, through a deal found on Last Minute an online travel agent.Once we arrived at our hotel, we checked in, although it was too early for us to go to our room as it wasn't ready. We left our bags in their luggage closet and set out on foot to explore the city, find a supermarket to stock up on things like Soy Milk, snacks, pop (soda) and Earl Grey Tea. It was also a chance for us to start finding our way around the city and indulge in our first spot of shopping.Once evening came we headed off to Draculas Dinner Theatre for a glimpse into the dark, saucy underworld of a vaudevillian spectacular called Bloodbath. This show was amazing! And definitely not for the faint hearted. It was full of risky burlesque dancing, shock-rock and vampire variety. Draculas as an attraction is definitely a must do!

Day 2Saturday we woke to gorgeous sunshine and an eagerness to get out and explore the city some more. We managed to do a lot and a lot and a lot of walking (I don't think I've ever walked more than on this vacation). In between all the walking we took in some of the sights Melbourne has to offer.First up was a trip on the City Circle tram, this is Melbourne's free tram which operates on a clockwise/anti-clockwise loop around the central city distract. Our first stop on the tram was Federation Square where we picked up our MyKi Visitors Pack and a Melbourne magnet. MyKi is the travel smart card that is required when travelling on any public transport in Melbourne. The hubby and I also have this little tradition where we always get a Magnet whenever we visit a new city or attraction together; we also like to collect squashed pennies where ever we go. I also scored a free cosmopolitan magazine from promo girls outside Flinders Station.

Next we walked across the river and made our way to Eureka Sky Deck. Located on the banks of the Yarra River, Eureka offers 360° floor-to-ceiling views of the Melbourne CBD 300 meters above ground. It is the highest viewing platform in the Southern HemispherWe enjoyed the view and a cup of earl gray tea while up there.

Various views from Eureka Sky Deck

From Eureka we walked along the Yarra River towards the Crown Entertainment Complex. Here we indulged in silver service Yum Cha (as well as Mocktails) at Lucky Chan, a quick flutter at the 1c slots and indulging our inner child at the huge arcade located in the complex. I managed to strike it lucky on a space invader game and win 1000 tickets.

From here we walked along the Yarra River towards Melbourne DFO located at South Wharf so that I could buy myself a Guess handbag. This was a particular stop on our trip that was planned for after I happened across the outlet store with an awesome sale section on my first trip to Melbourne in July.

Things we spotted on our walk along the Yarra River

After tiring ourselves out with walking and shopping, we headed back to our hotel to drop our purchases and freshen up before heading out to dinner at the restaurant in the hotel lobby where we indulged in Steak, Hot Chips and steamed green beans drizzled in lemon olive oil.Day 3Sunday brought with it fabulous sunshine and the hubby and I's 1 year wedding anniversary. To mark this auspicious occasion we decided a tram ride to St Kilda for brunch was definitely in order.

Us on the City Circle Tram

We brunched at a cafe called Rococo in St Kilda's main street before checking out Luna Park. We enjoyed the fact that Luna Park is free to enter and look around but we were a little taken aback with how expensive the rides are for the few that they have. We did however decide that it wasn't a trip to St Kilda or Luna Park without having a go on the Scenic Railway; a 100 year old roller coaster ride that encompasses the perimeter of Luna Park and gives you views out over St Kilda beach and the park itself. It looks tame, but let me tell you it goes a lot faster then you think.While at Luna Park we also picked up a St Kilda/Luna Park magnet and of course a squashed penny.

From here we headed back into the CBD on the tram before taking a ride on the wild side.... of the law.... and being locked in jail! As part of a tour of the Old Melbourne Gaol and Police Watch House. This place is full of history dating right back to the times of bush ranger Ned Kelly. The Melbourne Gaol was only decommissioned (is that the right word?!) from use in 1994, it's hard to believe that that wasn't so long ago. It is very interested to read and hear about what life was like for convicts and those accused of crimes in the 1800s & 1900s.

Us in a cell in the Old Melbourne Gaol

Stay tuned for my recap of Melbourne Days 4 - 6 which should be posted soon.

November 15, 2013

We've had official news back from the New Zealand Air Force regarding the hubby's application to be a logistics specialist. Unfortunately he did not make it through. It's sad that this news has come to light, as we were both starting to look forward to the opportunities and adventures the hubby joining the Air Force would bring to our lives. But as the saying goes "as one door closes another one opens..." (Alexander Graham Bell). Now we are looking forward to the future and what other opportunities are out there for us. We're both still young and have many more years ahead of ourselves. We're staying optimistic and giving everything loads of thought. Who knows that open door could be just around the corner. I'll check back in a few days when we've let this unfortunate news settle and have given more thought to our future and what we'd like to do. In the mean time make sure to check back for the last two posts in my Travel Series and I will be doing a review of our week in Melbourne so keep an eye out for that too. Until next time, here's to not letting ourselves dwell on the door that's closing and to always remember just because one door closes doesn't mean it's the end, there will always be another door opening for you to walk through and continue your adventures in life. xo

"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us." Alexander Graham Bell

November 1, 2013

Last week the hubby and I attended our first ever LIVE Basketball game.

We watched the New Zealand Breakers play the Perth Wildcats at North Shore Events Centre in an NBL season game.

It was amazing to watch and to see just how big these guys really are.

Like I mentioned this was our first ever Basketball game, I would say it reminded me a lot of going to watch a LIVE Netball game. I love netball so it was great to be able to watch a game that is closely related to netball therefore being able to understand what is going on during the game.

The hubby however found it a little bit of a struggle to grasp the rules and how exactly movements are called as a lot of calls are made 'off' the ball as opposed to 'on' the ball like in Football or League which are his two big sports.

We're looking forward to watching them in another home game in the future hopefully at Vector Arena this time.

October 30, 2013

This past weekend was Labour weekend in New Zealand. On Monday 28th October we celebrated Labour day, which meant New Zealand got a long 3 day weekend.

For the hubby and I this meant that we would be spending three glorious sunny days hanging with friends, family & each other making memories and having fun.

Here's a run down of our weekend with pictures :)

Friday night we started our long weekend with a good old-fashioned Kiwi dinner of fish & chips and egg burgers. Egg burgers are lovingly known as 'Kiwi' burgers here in New Zealand.

Saturday was spent making good use of the gorgeous sunshine we were having by doing washing and running errands.

Saturday night we joined close friends of ours at the local theme park Rainbows End for the annual Halloween Night Rides night. It was awesome catching up with good friends, laughing and having fun.

I always enjoy hanging out with my friends enjoying the good times together and cherishing the memories made.

After our fun and games we headed to the local Denny's Restaurant for a snack and BIG glass of water!
While there I got to meet a local celebrity...heavyweight boxer David Tua.
Here is a photo of myself with him.

Sunday the hubby and I spent the day relaxing together watching TV and not doing a whole lot. I made us a cooked breakfast of bacon, poached eggs, toast and mushrooms.
Sunday night we headed out for dinner and a movie with the hubby's parents. We had tapas for dinner at this amazing restaurant Bolero before watching the movie Captain Phillips. I highly recommend the Captain Phillips movie, it was intense and had you enthralled from the very beginning right through to the very end. Highly emotional in parts but a perfectly told story that made you feel for those involved.

On Monday {Labour Day} the hubby and I headed to the Pop Culture Expo Armageddon.
Here the hubby got to indulge in his love of pop culture and we also got to meet a few celebrities we are fans of.

The hubby got a picture and autograph with Mark Rolsten from Aliens and Super Natural fame. The hubby is a huge fan boy when it comes to anything Aliens related. He has all the movies, numerous collectibles and so far 3 autographs and pictures with actors from the movies.

I myself got to meet Kim Rhodes {The Suite Life of Zac & Cody and Super Natural fame} and Barry Bostwick {Spin City & Super Naturla fame}. I got both of their autographs as well :)

I loved every minute of this weekend as I got to spend it with those that I care about whether it's friends, family or the hubby. Here's to making many more memories and having many more laughs as we continue heading into summer.

October 2, 2013

Since I was the age of 8 or 9 I have had some form of milk allergy or lactose intolerance. I get eczema from consuming too many milk dairy products. The more dairy products I consume, the more and worse my eczema gets. Nobody knows if it is a true milk allergy or just an intolerance to lactose. But recently my eczema has been getting worse. So after poring over blog after blog, forum after forum online, talking to my mum, reading allergy information, I have decided to cut all dairy from my diet to see if that will help my eczema in some way.

So far I have been trying to be dairy free for 4 days now (it's a hard process cutting dairy from you diet, it's not until you start doing it that you come to realise how many products we take for granted contain some form of dairy), and I have already started to notice a difference.

My eczema is starting to become less flaky on face (great news!) but I also come to notice (& TMI warning!!) that I am less gassy/stomach is more settled. For example, yesterday my hubby and I went for a coffee date after I finished work (he had the day off due to sitting his Air Force entrance fitness test - which he passed! And is now waiting for an interview date). We decided to share a slice of chocolate cake and it was served with a dollop of cream on the side (fine, I ate it...I said I was trying to cut dairy out but it's a hard thing to do...don't judge.). Well about 1/2 way through sharing this slice of cake, I couldn't handle the dairy anymore, it was making me feel ill, my stomach was not feeling crash hot, that's when it struck...dairy was not my body's friend!! So now I'm back to 100% dairy free and so far my body is loving it. I'm hoping that by cutting dairy out of my diet and eventually wheat as well (a lot of people with eczema and dairy allergies also have an intolerance to wheat and gluten), I will be able to lose the few kilo's that I've gained since leaving high school in 2005.

One thing I have noticed since becoming dairy free is how hard it is to find dairy free products in New Zealand, especially in mainstream supermarkets. So I have decided to compile a list of dairy free products (I will add to it as my knowledge expands and I discover new products)...check out the list here!

September 28, 2013

Slight delay on posting this blog post...in fact a new weekend has begun and I still haven't posted it. Better late than never. Here you go, a review of last weekend. Make sure to look out for a review of this weekend in the coming week (I promise it won't be so delayed next time). Also keep an eye out for a new series I'm going to start called Tea Time, starting next week with my favourite tea flavour for the month of September. Enjoy!

Last weekend was one we dedicated to family and spending time together as a couple.

Saturday I of course had to work, but afterwards the hubby and I spent some together checking out a new shop in town T2. After finding this shop on my travel journeys in Melbourne in July with my sister, I am totally in love.
T2 is a loose leaf tea and tea gadget shop, it has everything you could ever dream of needing to make/store/drink tea. It also has a million tons of flavours. This was the hubby's first time experiencing the store (and I'm not sure he as in love with it as I am) but none the less we did walk away with a new flavour of tea. We decided to try French Earl Grey as we are both lovers of traditional Earl Grey tea, we thought this would be perfect to try. We already have Pumping Pomegranate flavour, which is delicious.
We both liked the flavour French Earl Grey had, a slight vanillary (is that a word?) vanilla flavour to it as well as coming across with quite a milky taste (this could have been my tea making skills at play there). All in all we decided it was a nice flavour but will be having it on occasion for a change as opposed to replacing our usual Traditional Earl Grey tea as our flavour of choice.
I like to brew our loose leaf tea using a Tea Maker (pictured below), it's especially great for when you only want to brew 1 cup of tea as opposed to a full tea pot of tea.
If you're ever in Auckland make sure to check out T2 Tea Shop located at 87-93 Queen Street, Auckland.

We also decided to play a little Skip Bo while we drank our tea :)

The hubby won if you're wondering.

The hubby also picked up the latest hot game out for Xbox 360 - GTAV (Gran Theft Auto Five). He spent the rest of his Saturday afternoon, checking it out.

Saturday night we went out for dinner with the hubby's parents for my Father-In-Law's birthday. We ate at Serengeti Restaurant in Murray's Bay. This place is amazing, they do fantastic ribs as well as many other delicious dishes. They are a taste of Africa restaurant. The meals are huge! And none of us managed to finish them, the in-law's took home the leftovers. Below are pictures of our meals (before eating them). Also some pics of us on the night :)

~My meal~ ~Hubby's meal~

~Mother-in-law's meal~ ~Father-in-law's meal!~

~ a few pics of the hubby ~

~ the in-law's~

~ me & the hubby~

Sunday was spent sleeping in and lazing around home, oh and also a bit of cleaning (what's a Sunday without some cleaning!). Sunday evening we went up to the in-law's for dinner, where we were joined by the hubby's brother C and his girlfriend S. The hubby also did a few chores to help out his parents. Pics below!

I share because I care, so feel free to use any of my images as long as they are credited and accompanied by a link back to Rambling Kiwi. Failure to link back and credit my site as a source constitutes a copyright violation. Thanks!!